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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. club — for dancing
  5. charge — in control
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pitch — completely
  8. charge — a price
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cold — an illness
  11. content — the amount
  12. cold — not warm
  13. face — to confront
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. charge — electricity
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. content — happy
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for golf
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com